Author:

Ira Berkovic

Israeli assaults in 2009 and 2014 have foregrounded Gaza in the popular imagination of Palestine throughout the world. But the West Bank, where 2.7 million Palestinians live (compared to around 1.7 million in Gaza), is the site of daily brutalities that, while perhaps less spectacularly savage than the bombardments of Gaza, give just as clear a picture of the Israeli state’s colonial project in Palestine.

In the UN’s 1947 partition plan for Israel/Palestine, the West Bank was intended to the be the territorial core of an independent Palestinian-Arab state, but was occupied by Jordan during the 1948 war.

Around the world:

Author:

Ruben Lomas

Benjamin Netanyahu’s re-election is a blow for the Palestinians, and for workers and the internationalist left inside Israel.

That he was apparently able to galvanise votes by appeals to racist, anti-Arab nationalism indicates how much work there is to do to build an internationalist class consciousness within the Israeli working class.

In the run-up to the Israeli election, Netanyahu made a clear statement of opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Around the world:

Author:

Eric Lee

In a sense, not much changed in the Israeli elections of 2015, despite media reports of a “landslide” victory for incumbent Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

The country is still almost equally divided between Left and Right. The parties of the Zionist Left (Labour and Meretz) have seen their combined vote steadily increase over the last three elections, from just 16 Knesset seats (out of 120) to 21, and now to 29. The voting strength of the Arab parties is larger than ever, with a single united bloc now holding 13 seats, a record result.

It’s up to the Israeli Left and their supporters abroad to develop a strategy to block any attempts by Netanyahu to undermine Israel’s democracy.

Around the world:

Author:

Rosalind Robson

As we go to press Israel's current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his party Likud, are neck-and-neck with the opposition in exit polls from Israel’s 17 March election.

The election was turned into a dramatic national referendum on the future of Israel when Netanyahu ruled out the establishment of a Palestinian state, saying: “I think that anyone who moves to establish a Palestinian state and evacuate territory gives territory away to radical Islamist attacks against Israel.” He also promised to build more settlements in occupied east Jerusalem.

Around the world:

Author:

Bruce Robinson

A concert by the controversial Israeli-born jazz saxophonist Gilad Atzmon has been cancelled by the Royal Northern College of Music on the spurious grounds of threats to “safety” of the audience. This followed a petition from the North West Friends of Israel calling for cancellation on the basis of Atzmon’s anti-Semitism.

A concert by the controversial Israeli-born jazz saxophonist Gilad Atzmon has been cancelled by the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, on the spurious grounds of threats to “safety” of the audience. This followed a petition from the North West Friends of Israel calling for cancellation on the basis of Atzmon’s anti-Semitism.

Issues and Campaigns:

Author:

Uri Avnery

Jerusalem has been in flames — again. Two youngsters from Jabel Mukaber, one of the Arab villages annexed to Jerusalem, entered a synagogue in the west of the city during morning prayers and killed four devout Jews, before themselves being killed by police [18 November].

Jerusalem is called "the City of Peace". No city in the world has seen as many wars, massacres and as much bloodshed as this one.

Jerusalem was annexed (or "liberated", or "unified") immediately after the Six Day War of 1967.

Jerusalem has been in flames — again. Two youngsters from Jabel Mukaber, one of the Arab villages annexed to Jerusalem, entered a synagogue in the west of the city during morning prayers and killed four devout Jews. Uri Avnery looks at the context to these killings.

Around the world:

Author:

Alternative Information Centre in Jerusalem

A bill defining Israel as “the nation state of the Jewish people” was passed on Sunday 23 November by the Israeli cabinet, despite protests that this bill undermines the “democratic” character of Israel and discriminates against Israel’s Palestinian citizens, who comprise 20% of the population.

Fourteen ministers supported the bill while Justice Minister Livni and five ministers from the Yesh Atid party voted against.

A bill defining Israel as “the nation state of the Jewish people” was passed on Sunday 23 November by the Israeli cabinet, despite protests that this bill undermines the “democratic” character of Israel and discriminates against Israel’s Palestinian citizens, who comprise 20% of the population.

Around the world:

On 13 October, MPs voted to recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel.

On 13 October, MPs voted to recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel.

The motion, proposed by Labour MP Grahame Morris, was passed by 274 votes to 12. It is an additional commitment to a two-state settlement for Israel-Palestine of this and the last government .

In 2012, when the UN General Assembly voted on whether to recognise the Palestinian state, the UK was one of the 41 nations which abstained. Nine voted against, 138 in favour – but the nine included Israel and the US, the two states with an ability to bring justice to the Palestinians.